The Adventure continues...
Jun. 27th, 2009 04:13 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mistresshuette.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
fandomaniaPlease click and view our eggs and hatchlings. I do the same for you. Thanks.
Our eggs:
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Our hatchlings:
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It was during the afternoon, about a week later, that one of the guards came to me, saying that there was a Rajfaharan at the compound gates, asking to see me. The guard also handed me an envelope with my name on the outside of it. Inside, I found a note from Armand, which read, “Here is the gift for Yusaf, which you promised to accept from me.” I then told the guard to escort the man to one of the sitting rooms.
When the guard brought him in, I requested the guard to leave us alone, but to remain outside the room in case I needed him. The Rajfaharan man was tall, and about forty-five or fifty years old. He wore simple clothing in muted earth tone colors but the cloth seemed to be made of the finest of cottons. He had a military stance accentuated by a muscular build, and, as he approached me, his bearing was agile and lithe. Just before he got to where I was standing, he prostrated himself in front of me.
“Lady Patra!” He said in a rich baritone voice, “His Majesty, Armand, the Shah of Rajfahar, sends me to you. I am Izshaq.”
“Hello Izshaq. Please rise and let us sit down together.”
“Oh no, your ladyship! That would be unseemly for a man like me to do.” He rose up, but remained kneeling on the floor.
Slightly taken aback, I brought over a chair and sat down. I looked at him expectantly and asked, “So where is this gift that the Shah speaks of?”
“Right here, in front of you, milady. I am the gift.”
I was confused. “How can you be a gift? I thought that he was going to give Yusaf a token or a memento of his love.”
“His Majesty has, your ladyship. I am the token. Just as I was the Shah’s body slave, guard and protector from his birth, I have been sent to be Prince Yusaf’s body slave, guard and guide to the Rajfaharan way of life, its customs and traditions, since he is not to be brought up under his father’s guidance.”
“What?” I exclaimed. “Oh, no, no. no. no, no! Armand has sent a slave to me? To Yusaf? No! No! No! I will not have a slave here! I will not have Yusaf become a slave owner! That is completely out of the question.”
Izshaq looked perplexed. “But, mistress, for more than three hundred years, my ancestors and I have devoted our lives and our selves to the protection of the Crown of Rajfahar. It has been our duty and our privilege to do so. We have sacrificed our freedom, so that the vanAdiu Dynasty would remain strong and lead Rajfahar greatly and wisely, knowing that its heirs would be safe from its enemies because they could count on us and our loyalty. How can the Shah find peace, when he thinks of his son here? Prince Yusaf is unprotected and could easily fall into the hands of his enemies, who would use him to destroy the Shah and Rajfahar. Can you not see that his Majesty is only thinking of his son?”
I was shocked. “I can see that the Shah has no idea of the customs that I was brought up with and also with the laws of Alfaria. Slavery is illegal here. The thought of forcing people to do one’s bidding because they have no rights and are treated like animals is very repugnant to me. I cannot and I will not accept a slave as a ‘gift’ for my son! Go back to Armand and tell him that I refuse his offer! My family is very rich and can protect Yusaf just fine. I don’t want to expose my son to any way of life that treats human beings like objects that can be bought or sold or given away at a whim.”
“But your ladyship!” Izshaq pleaded. “I cannot go back to Rajfahar. To do so would mean failure to me and my family. His Majesty would be very angry with me. It would be worth my life to fail him! Please let me stay? I can be useful to not only Prince Yusaf, but also to your children. I have heard that you have had problems with enemies who attempted to abduct your oldest son. In protecting the prince, I would also help protect his siblings. I have a great many skills that I can teach you children. I could teach them martial arts not only using weapons but also without weapons, so that they can protect themselves when or if needed.
“If you are so revolted by my status, then manumit me! It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. I am more concerned with protecting Prince Yusaf. Hire me to do what I am willing to do for nothing. Make me swear whatever oaths you wish me to swear. Let me show you that I am devoted to him above my own life. I only want him to be protected. I would never harm him or allow anyone to harm him. I swear this to you, by all that I hold sacred!”
“But how am I to know that you are not here as an elaborate plot to steal my son and take him to Rajfahar?”
Izshaq opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. “You cannot know for certain. All I can do is give you my word that there is no such plot. You are going to have to trust me in this.”
I didn’t know what to do. None of my trusted advisors were around. I wasn’t sure what Armand’s intentions truly were. Having lived in a royal court, I knew that what a monarch said and what he really meant could be two different things. I didn’t trust Armand and I really didn’t trust his mother. ‘Once burnt, twice shy’ went the old adage. Just as I was about to tell Izshaq to go away, I heard something in the back of my mind. “Use me!” it whispered. “This is one of my purposes.”
It took me several seconds to realize that this was my crown speaking to me. Orlando had warned me not to use it, but I had done so once already. I was sure that I had been lucky doing so the first time. If I tried to use it again, not really knowing what I was doing, what would the outcome be? I should have asked Orlando to start my training, but with all that had being going on lately, I had forgotten all about it. I would rectify this later today, when I could. In the meanwhile, I had Izshaq on his knees in front of me, looking expectantly at me, and I had the crown talking to me in my head, offering me its help.
I threw caution to the wind. I spoke to the crown and commanded it, saying, “Come to me.”
***Acceptance***
Less than a second later, the crown appeared in my hands. Izshaq fell back in surprise. It took him a minute or two to regain his composure.
“Izshaq!” I said to him very seriously. “By the laws of Alfaria and by my command, you are a free man. Do you accept your manumission?”
“With the proviso that with this acceptance, I will be allowed to remain here to serve my prince and you, yes, I do accept it.”
“As a free man, will you allow me to look into your mind, your memories and your soul, so that I can know your true intentions? You have the right to refuse and I will accept your refusal. Do not say ‘yes’ if you do not want to. I am not trying to coerce you. I am just trying to find out if I can trust you.”
“Yes, mistress, please do whatever you have to do. I have no secrets. I have nothing to hide from you.”
Just as I was about to place the crown on my head, I remembered the affect it had on me when I first put it on, with all the power and voices that almost overwhelmed me. I was annoyed with myself for forgetting the buffer that I had had when I last used the crown. I looked around for anything that had potential. In the corner, I saw a small table that was covered by a 3’ by 3’ square cloth over it to protect the table from the flower arrangement that had been placed on the table. I was sure that it would look strange, but I walked over and took the cloth and, folding it in half, I draped in over my head like a veil and placed the crown on top of it. Although the cloth protected me somewhat, it didn’t do so completely. I felt power rushing totally through my body. It took all my control to keep from succumbing to the power.
I walked back over to Izshaq. I put my hands on either side of his head and then commanded the crown, “Show me his true self, his true intentions.”
***Acceptance***
Just as a dying man is said to see his life flash before his eyes before his death, I saw and felt Izshaq’s life flash before me. I saw and felt his birth. I saw his infancy and his loving parents. I saw Izshaq’s father bring him along as the father protected the new heir to the throne, Raimand. I saw Izshaq being taught along with Prince Raimand and Izshaq suffer great pain because he was Raimand’s whipping boy. I saw Izshaq lose his virginity to a prostitute that the two of them shared. I saw Raimand use Izshaq for his own pleasures. I saw them both train with weapons masters. I saw them both go off to war and experience the hell that battle was. I saw Prince Raimand’s father King Yusaf fall to assassins as Izshaq and his father struggled to protect their monarchs. I saw King Raimand’s coronation. I saw Izshaq fall in love with a young slave girl and watched at they made a baby together. I saw her give birth to his son and I felt his joy and pride that he had for his child. I saw and felt the despair that he felt as he watched his woman being dragged away and sold to a house of prostitution. I saw how he searched for her in his spare time for months only to discover that she had been beaten to death by one of her customers. I saw Izshaq escort Florazelle to Raimand whenever he lay with her. I saw Izshaq watch with Raimand as Florazelle writhed in agony, giving birth to Armand. I saw Raimand order Izshaq to become baby Armand’s slave, just as his father had been Raimand’s slave. I saw Armand as he grew up and learned from Izshaq. I saw him follow Prince Armand into battle and protect him from harm. I saw them both watch in horror as King Raimand died from poison during a banquet and King Armand’s subsequent coronation. I saw Armand order Izshaq to leave Rajfahar and become Yusaf’s slave. I saw Izshaq say goodbye to his young son and leave the boy in the care of his father. I saw his journey here and felt his loneliness and sorrow as he left his family and the only country he knew. I felt his determination to fulfill his master’s wish for him to care for and protect my son. What I did not see was any plot to abduct or harm Yusaf.
The crown continued to take me further and further into Izshaq being. That felt so wrong to me. I had invaded him too much already. I struggled to control the force of the crown as it pulled me deeper and deeper into his soul. I finally used every fiber of my being and told the crown, “Stop!”
***Acceptance***
I removed my hands from Izshaq and watched as he crumpled to the floor. I felt drained of all my energy and I too lost consciousness and collapsed also.
Our eggs:
§ § § §Our hatchlings:
§ § It was during the afternoon, about a week later, that one of the guards came to me, saying that there was a Rajfaharan at the compound gates, asking to see me. The guard also handed me an envelope with my name on the outside of it. Inside, I found a note from Armand, which read, “Here is the gift for Yusaf, which you promised to accept from me.” I then told the guard to escort the man to one of the sitting rooms.
When the guard brought him in, I requested the guard to leave us alone, but to remain outside the room in case I needed him. The Rajfaharan man was tall, and about forty-five or fifty years old. He wore simple clothing in muted earth tone colors but the cloth seemed to be made of the finest of cottons. He had a military stance accentuated by a muscular build, and, as he approached me, his bearing was agile and lithe. Just before he got to where I was standing, he prostrated himself in front of me.
“Lady Patra!” He said in a rich baritone voice, “His Majesty, Armand, the Shah of Rajfahar, sends me to you. I am Izshaq.”
“Hello Izshaq. Please rise and let us sit down together.”
“Oh no, your ladyship! That would be unseemly for a man like me to do.” He rose up, but remained kneeling on the floor.
Slightly taken aback, I brought over a chair and sat down. I looked at him expectantly and asked, “So where is this gift that the Shah speaks of?”
“Right here, in front of you, milady. I am the gift.”
I was confused. “How can you be a gift? I thought that he was going to give Yusaf a token or a memento of his love.”
“His Majesty has, your ladyship. I am the token. Just as I was the Shah’s body slave, guard and protector from his birth, I have been sent to be Prince Yusaf’s body slave, guard and guide to the Rajfaharan way of life, its customs and traditions, since he is not to be brought up under his father’s guidance.”
“What?” I exclaimed. “Oh, no, no. no. no, no! Armand has sent a slave to me? To Yusaf? No! No! No! I will not have a slave here! I will not have Yusaf become a slave owner! That is completely out of the question.”
Izshaq looked perplexed. “But, mistress, for more than three hundred years, my ancestors and I have devoted our lives and our selves to the protection of the Crown of Rajfahar. It has been our duty and our privilege to do so. We have sacrificed our freedom, so that the vanAdiu Dynasty would remain strong and lead Rajfahar greatly and wisely, knowing that its heirs would be safe from its enemies because they could count on us and our loyalty. How can the Shah find peace, when he thinks of his son here? Prince Yusaf is unprotected and could easily fall into the hands of his enemies, who would use him to destroy the Shah and Rajfahar. Can you not see that his Majesty is only thinking of his son?”
I was shocked. “I can see that the Shah has no idea of the customs that I was brought up with and also with the laws of Alfaria. Slavery is illegal here. The thought of forcing people to do one’s bidding because they have no rights and are treated like animals is very repugnant to me. I cannot and I will not accept a slave as a ‘gift’ for my son! Go back to Armand and tell him that I refuse his offer! My family is very rich and can protect Yusaf just fine. I don’t want to expose my son to any way of life that treats human beings like objects that can be bought or sold or given away at a whim.”
“But your ladyship!” Izshaq pleaded. “I cannot go back to Rajfahar. To do so would mean failure to me and my family. His Majesty would be very angry with me. It would be worth my life to fail him! Please let me stay? I can be useful to not only Prince Yusaf, but also to your children. I have heard that you have had problems with enemies who attempted to abduct your oldest son. In protecting the prince, I would also help protect his siblings. I have a great many skills that I can teach you children. I could teach them martial arts not only using weapons but also without weapons, so that they can protect themselves when or if needed.
“If you are so revolted by my status, then manumit me! It doesn’t matter to me one way or the other. I am more concerned with protecting Prince Yusaf. Hire me to do what I am willing to do for nothing. Make me swear whatever oaths you wish me to swear. Let me show you that I am devoted to him above my own life. I only want him to be protected. I would never harm him or allow anyone to harm him. I swear this to you, by all that I hold sacred!”
“But how am I to know that you are not here as an elaborate plot to steal my son and take him to Rajfahar?”
Izshaq opened his mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. “You cannot know for certain. All I can do is give you my word that there is no such plot. You are going to have to trust me in this.”
I didn’t know what to do. None of my trusted advisors were around. I wasn’t sure what Armand’s intentions truly were. Having lived in a royal court, I knew that what a monarch said and what he really meant could be two different things. I didn’t trust Armand and I really didn’t trust his mother. ‘Once burnt, twice shy’ went the old adage. Just as I was about to tell Izshaq to go away, I heard something in the back of my mind. “Use me!” it whispered. “This is one of my purposes.”
It took me several seconds to realize that this was my crown speaking to me. Orlando had warned me not to use it, but I had done so once already. I was sure that I had been lucky doing so the first time. If I tried to use it again, not really knowing what I was doing, what would the outcome be? I should have asked Orlando to start my training, but with all that had being going on lately, I had forgotten all about it. I would rectify this later today, when I could. In the meanwhile, I had Izshaq on his knees in front of me, looking expectantly at me, and I had the crown talking to me in my head, offering me its help.
I threw caution to the wind. I spoke to the crown and commanded it, saying, “Come to me.”
***Acceptance***
Less than a second later, the crown appeared in my hands. Izshaq fell back in surprise. It took him a minute or two to regain his composure.
“Izshaq!” I said to him very seriously. “By the laws of Alfaria and by my command, you are a free man. Do you accept your manumission?”
“With the proviso that with this acceptance, I will be allowed to remain here to serve my prince and you, yes, I do accept it.”
“As a free man, will you allow me to look into your mind, your memories and your soul, so that I can know your true intentions? You have the right to refuse and I will accept your refusal. Do not say ‘yes’ if you do not want to. I am not trying to coerce you. I am just trying to find out if I can trust you.”
“Yes, mistress, please do whatever you have to do. I have no secrets. I have nothing to hide from you.”
Just as I was about to place the crown on my head, I remembered the affect it had on me when I first put it on, with all the power and voices that almost overwhelmed me. I was annoyed with myself for forgetting the buffer that I had had when I last used the crown. I looked around for anything that had potential. In the corner, I saw a small table that was covered by a 3’ by 3’ square cloth over it to protect the table from the flower arrangement that had been placed on the table. I was sure that it would look strange, but I walked over and took the cloth and, folding it in half, I draped in over my head like a veil and placed the crown on top of it. Although the cloth protected me somewhat, it didn’t do so completely. I felt power rushing totally through my body. It took all my control to keep from succumbing to the power.
I walked back over to Izshaq. I put my hands on either side of his head and then commanded the crown, “Show me his true self, his true intentions.”
***Acceptance***
Just as a dying man is said to see his life flash before his eyes before his death, I saw and felt Izshaq’s life flash before me. I saw and felt his birth. I saw his infancy and his loving parents. I saw Izshaq’s father bring him along as the father protected the new heir to the throne, Raimand. I saw Izshaq being taught along with Prince Raimand and Izshaq suffer great pain because he was Raimand’s whipping boy. I saw Izshaq lose his virginity to a prostitute that the two of them shared. I saw Raimand use Izshaq for his own pleasures. I saw them both train with weapons masters. I saw them both go off to war and experience the hell that battle was. I saw Prince Raimand’s father King Yusaf fall to assassins as Izshaq and his father struggled to protect their monarchs. I saw King Raimand’s coronation. I saw Izshaq fall in love with a young slave girl and watched at they made a baby together. I saw her give birth to his son and I felt his joy and pride that he had for his child. I saw and felt the despair that he felt as he watched his woman being dragged away and sold to a house of prostitution. I saw how he searched for her in his spare time for months only to discover that she had been beaten to death by one of her customers. I saw Izshaq escort Florazelle to Raimand whenever he lay with her. I saw Izshaq watch with Raimand as Florazelle writhed in agony, giving birth to Armand. I saw Raimand order Izshaq to become baby Armand’s slave, just as his father had been Raimand’s slave. I saw Armand as he grew up and learned from Izshaq. I saw him follow Prince Armand into battle and protect him from harm. I saw them both watch in horror as King Raimand died from poison during a banquet and King Armand’s subsequent coronation. I saw Armand order Izshaq to leave Rajfahar and become Yusaf’s slave. I saw Izshaq say goodbye to his young son and leave the boy in the care of his father. I saw his journey here and felt his loneliness and sorrow as he left his family and the only country he knew. I felt his determination to fulfill his master’s wish for him to care for and protect my son. What I did not see was any plot to abduct or harm Yusaf.
The crown continued to take me further and further into Izshaq being. That felt so wrong to me. I had invaded him too much already. I struggled to control the force of the crown as it pulled me deeper and deeper into his soul. I finally used every fiber of my being and told the crown, “Stop!”
***Acceptance***
I removed my hands from Izshaq and watched as he crumpled to the floor. I felt drained of all my energy and I too lost consciousness and collapsed also.
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